In my last Calderwood Cottage update, I showed you all the termite damage we found. We ended up removing the wood floors and subfloors on half of the house. We never intended on having to deal with this level of repair. But we’re into it now. So we figured out what we needed to do […]
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The Chevy Colorado took the mid-size truck category by storm last year and won the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award in 2015. They followed up that win with the same award for 2016 due to a new 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel engine that gets 31 mpg on the freeway. A statistic that is unmatched by any truck in any class. We joined Chevy for a day of adventure as they introduced a special edition Colorado Shoreline package, and set us up for a day surfing and snowboarding with pro surfer and Fiji maestro Damien Hobgood and leading motocross gear company Fox Head Inc.
We started the day loading up our 2016 Chevy Colorado with surfboards, skis, snowboards, and gear and headed to Huntington Beach. It was a sloppy day out with multiple crossed up swells and a strong current, but Damien still shredded and we checked out the 2017 Colorado Shoreline. The new Shoreline is designed to appeal to a younger aftermarket crowd that loves customizing their truck with bright paint, blacked-out wheels, and a minimal amount of chrome. It’s definitely a head turner and a truck my 25-year old brother would love, but we prefer the extra cab, Z71 4×4 with the Duramax turbo-diesel.
Our Chevy Colorado was equipped with the Chevy GearOn system that included Thule racks and accessories that come straight from the factory. With the Chevy Colorado you don’t need to buy aftermarket racks and accessories, just order it when you buy your Colorado and you’ll be ready to hit the surf or snow straight from the dealer lot.
Our 9’2″ longboard fit in the bed of the truck and our snowboards were held secure by a locking Thule ski rack. There was still plenty of room for our gear bags and anything else we needed to toss in the bed or the cab of the truck.
My daily driver is a full-size rig and although I’ve become accustomed to parallel parking in tight spaces and spending a lot on gas, I still love it. The Chevy Colorado definitely tested my allegiance to the full-size truck category, as I really enjoyed driving it on the freeways, up the mountain passes, and navigating parking lots. I never had a chance to even fill it up as we still had plenty in reserve after we returned from our trip. The available V6 might be more peppy but the turbo-diesel had plenty of power for what we needed. With the diesel we’d never worry about towing anything but the largest trailers and the exhaust brake feature is worth it’s weight in gold when towing and descending over passes or down from a day in the mountains.
The tech these trucks sports is also impressive as the onboard navigation was spot-on and the OnStar system was ready to go. The WiFi became useful as we were in the mountains with out cell service but the WiFi in the truck still worked so we could still check our email and login via our smartphones or laptops.
Thanks to the great folks at Chevy, Fox Head Inc., and Damien for sharing their stoke on this truck. Chevy is truly innovating in a truck category that has long been dominated by Toyota and Nissan. It would make sense for them to continue to concede to them leaders but Chevy is aggressively building the Colorado to surpass their peers and bring a truck to market that fits the active lifestyle of many SoCal residents and action sports enthusiasts across the country.
Whether you are looking for a unique hostess gift or just want to add a natural element to your tablescape, these DIY napkin rings are fast, easy, cheap, and very WOW! I used some 3” x 3” pieces of 1/4” walnut and maple that I had leftover from another project. I laminated them together to create striped pieces […]
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Lowe’s has just launched their Black Friday deals which include a ton of appliances, tools, and other home improvement products that you’ve been coveting.
Today I’m sharing my review of the Porter-Cable 20V MAX Wet-Dry Vac. I’ve had a chance to use it around the shop as well as during “Demo Days” at Calderwood Cottage. The Porter-Cable PCC795B is currently available for less than $60. This price is for the tool only. Battery not included. That’s not a problem if you already […]
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Once in a while I have to step away from the home remodeling work that goes on and on for months and months without looking like any progress is being made …and make something that I can start and finish in one day. For sanity sake! After finishing three weeks of back breaking demolition on […]
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Disclosure: This post was brought to you by the Delta Faucet Company. I received free product and compensation to write this post, but all opinions expressed are my own.
Throughout the past few years since we moved into our current home, we’ve had multiple issues with floods in the basement. After not one, but two rounds of professional waterproofing, we thought we had finally dealt with the issues and gotten them resolved. But no! Soon after the waterproofing process wrapped up, we were hit with another flood when one of our water heaters leaked all over the floor. It was a nightmare. Needless to say, when I found out about the Delta® Leak Detector, I immediately thought back to the day we discovered that our “waterproofed” basement had flooded thanks to the water heater, and how nice it would have been to know immediately when the leak started so that we could have prevented further damage. We’re not sure how long the flood had been there since we don’t go down in our basement very often. It could have been several days. I knew that a leak detector would come in handy for this particular issue, but it would also be helpful to have something like this under the sinks to detect smaller leaks or drips.
So, what exactly is the Delta Leak Detector? It’s a water leak detector that can detect a range of water levels, and alerts you when leaks are present by sending a notification to your smartphone or tablet. It will also send out an audible alert and the LED lights will flash to alert those in the home. Not only does this provide peace of mind when you’re away from home since you will be alerted if there are any issues, but it also enables you to immediately attend to the leak if you are home.
Here’s how it works:
First, you remove the little flap on the back and insert 3 AAA batteries.
Then, you download the Delta Leak Detector app. Here are a couple of screenshots:
Next, you follow the in-app instructions for pairing and setup. It will instruct you to set up your account and then press the button on top of the detector to sync it to your device. Then, it will begin to send you notifications if and when there happens to be a leak.
Then, you place the device under or near your home’s water sources. I tested it out by placing it next to the bathtub and then using a dropper to spill water underneath it. The LED light immediately began flashing and the device started beeping, and I received a notification on my phone. Here’s a little video of what happens when there’s a leak.
My main concern is our water heaters in the basement (although we did replace them both after the last leak), since we don’t spend time down there and if there was a leak we might not know it for several days. I plan on leaving the leak detector down there. I did a test there also.
This will certainly provide us with peace of mind knowing that even if we don’t go down in the basement often, we will know right away if a leak happens.
The device was incredibly easy to set up and took just a couple of minutes. It wasn’t complicated at all, which I was definitely pleased with. It’s user-friendly, compact in size, well-designed, and syncs and is ready to use very quickly.
Want to get one of these devices for free? Delta is currently holding a sweepstakes in which they will be awarding free devices to those who share their own photos and/or videos on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #LeakDetectSweepstakes and tag @DeltaFaucet. Each week throughout November, four winners will be rewarded with a Delta Leak Detector and be featured on Delta’s Inspired Living blog.
For more information about this device, visit Delta Faucet.
You can also connect with me here:
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